Do I Wanna Know?
by xpeanutbutter
Summary: Her little phase had lasted two months before she finally quit. It took two years for her to go back to smoking. It only took Marceline one year. AU, Bubbline.
1. Catching Up

**AN: I'm not 100% sure where I want this to go yet, but enjoy.**

"_That's quite an ironic shirt, hm?" Bonnibel questioned the pale girl with a raised eyebrow. She walked over next to her and stood against the brick walls behind the school. _

"_What are you doing out here?" Marceline took a long drag out of her cigarette before blowing out. "Plus, I've never been one to follow the rules, you know that," she added with a smirk, offering a cigarette._

"_Well neither have I," Bonnibel challenged as she accepted the offer, letting Marceline light the cigar. _

_The older girl scoffed, earning a glare from Bonnibel, and teased, "Says the straight-A student."_

"_But, I guess I have made you more of a badass since you've met me," Marceline added with a smile watching Bonnibel smoke like she's done it her whole life. _

"_Maybe I just stole some of your badassness instead."_

"_Explains why I've been turning into a sap lately."_

"_Oh, no. You were already a sap before."_

_Marceline laughed as she grinded the butt against the brick walls before flicking it on the ground. "Yeah, you're right."_

"_I'm always right," Bonnibel agreed taking another puff. "You know, I would have never thought that I'd ever smoke a cigarette."_

"_I know, I still remember that rant you gave me when you found out I smoke," Marceline affirmed, ready to light another cigar before Bonnibel's hand stopped her._

"_I still think you should quit," she asserted, taking the pack and placing it into her bag. _

_Digging her hands into her jeans, Marceline shrugged. "I'll try, but that means you have to quit too."_

Her little phase had lasted two months before she finally quit. It took two years for her to go back to smoking. It only took Marceline one year.

"Fuck," Marceline murmured as her keys fell on the ground, "where the hell did they go?"

She crouched down next to her car and took out her phone to shine light on the pavement. "Ah, there it is," she exclaimed, taking the keys and unlocking her car. "Now, let's get the fuck out of here."

This was a regular commute for Marceline, and unlike most people with the same commute, she was _not _an alcoholic. She was a regular performer at her local bar, and it helped pay for her living expenses.

Right now, she was currently staying at an off-campus apartment. Happily too. No nosy roommates to deal with. Seriously, fuck off means fuck off.

Her eyes landed on a stray figure on the road. Curiosity winning over common sense, Marceline slowed her car down and pulled over to the shoulder.

"This better not be some paranormal shit," she mumbled to herself as she lowered her passenger side window, doors still locked.

The figure stepped out of the shadow and revealed a strawberry blonde girl that could have been no older than Marceline. Her face was still masked by the darkness, but her vibrant clothes were apparent.

_Looks friendly enough. If she's crazy, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have trouble defending myself. _"Do you need a ride or something?" Marceline asked, "This isn't really an ideal place for girls your age to hang out."

The girl stepped closer and gasped.

"Marceline?"

She stared at the girl, half tempted to drive away. Then it clicked.

"Bonnie? What the hell are you doing here?" Marceline asked, confusion quickly taking over.

"Long story. Can I crash at your place?" Bonnie asked, already making her way into the car.

"Looks like I don't have much of an option," Marceline replied with a chuckle.

The two girls made their way to Marceline's humble abode in silence, neither knowing what to do. They hadn't seen each other in two years, and they didn't exactly leave on the best terms.

Marceline pulled into a parking space, and the two headed towards the apartment. "So," Marceline started, trying to cut through the heavy silence, "have you had dinner yet?"

She unlocked her apartment door and revealed a nice, little apartment. There was only one bedroom, but Marceline thought the balcony compensated for that. The apartment had all the necessities, so she couldn't complain.

Bonnie took a quick glance over before replying, "No, not yet."

"Pizza sound good?" she asked, taking off her shoes and jacket. She saw the blonde nod and made her way to order the pizza. "The usual toppings?"

Another nod was sent as the blondie sat on Marceline's sofa.

It was rock hard, but Bonnie kept the comment to herself. After all, she was already imposing herself onto the girl.

Marceline took a seat next to her and switched on the TV to fill the silence.

"Aren't you suppose to be in Stanford right now?"

"It's spring break, Marcy."

"Ooo isn't exactly the best place to spend your break."

"What about you? I figured you'd be partying or something during break."

"I settled down a little," Marceline replied, trying to change the subject. It was partly true, but she didn't want to get into the truth yet. "So, why aren't you partying? Or studying, for that matter."

"I heard that Peppermint had fallen ill," she murmured, eyes turning downcast. "I wanted to visit him."

A hand was placed on her shoulder, trying to provide some comfort. "We can go visit him together if you want," Marceline offered, knowing the full extent of Peppermint's case.

She smiled at the pale girl and nodded. "I'd like that, thanks."

For a second, it seemed like the two were back to normal. But things aren't that easy.

_knock knock_

Marceline got up to open the door and retrieve the pizza. "Thanks, Pete."

She set the pizza down on the coffee table where the two had been sitting and passed Bonnie a paper plate.

"Alright, so how'd you manage to end up on the streets late at night?" she inquired, tearing a slice of pizza off and placing it on her plate.

"I called Bond," Bonnie began her story, taking a bite out of the pizza before continuing, "and asked him if he could give me a ride back to Ooo for spring break."

"That was your first mistake," Marceline pointed out, knowing how dim-witted and clumsy Bond could get sometimes.

Bonnie nodded in agreement and continued. "So he picked me up, and we made our way back to Ooo, but his car broke down or something."

"Second mistake, actually getting into the car with him."

"My phone was dead by then, and Bond had forgotten to take his phone with him. Long story short, we began walking, and Ash saw us along the road. I couldn't stand being with him, so I told him to just drop me off along the road," she concluded, taking the last bite of her pizza.

"Perfectly understandable," Marceline commented, pulling out another slice.

The night grew darker as the two chatted, avoiding mentions of the past. Eventually, it was time to sleep. Fortunately for Bonnie, Marceline had a roll-away bed tucked in her closet that she let her use.

"Thanks again, Marceline."

"No problem, night."

"Night."


	2. Metaphor?

**A/N: Short chapter**. **Next ones will be a whole lot longer.**

Bonnie groaned, rolling in her bed before opening her eyes to find the source of noise. She made a quick glance at her now charged phone to see that it was three in the morning.

Her eyes landed on a figure standing outside on the balcony, pacing back and forth talking on the phone. She could pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, but tried to tune them out.

Eavesdropping was a bad habit she was trying to get rid of.

Once the phone call ended, she made her way out to the balcony to see if the older girl was okay.

"Marceline?"

She turned around with her a cigarette hanging in between her mouth, her lighter falling next to her leg in surprise. Blood started rushing through her cheeks as she quickly tried to cover it up.

"It's a metaphor?" she said with a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. Bonnie shot her a look making her know that her efforts had been futile. "Bad habits die hard," she confessed, lighting her metaphor up.

"I know," Bonnie agreed, taking the metaphor right of her lips and placing it between her own.

Marceline stared at her in shock, but finally got over it as she took another metaphor out of her pack.

The two leaned on the railings of the balcony, looking over the cars on the road. Another silence engulfed them, but this one was more comforting.

"When did you start again?" Marceline asked, blowing out a ring of smoke.

"A couple of months ago when I first heard about Peppermint," she answered, taking another puff. "You?"

"Last year when Simon passed away," Marceline replied, her voice quivering slightly at the mention of her former caretaker.

Bonnie looked over at the girl who was still intently staring at the cars before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Life sucks, huh?"

"Yep."

"Was that your dad on the phone earlier?" Bonnie queried.

She nodded and sighed. "He's still set on me taking over his business."

"I don't understand why he'd want you to work in a crematorium," she confessed, earning a chuckle from Marceline.

"Same here," she concured, lighting another cigarette. "How long are you staying here?"

"I'm going to leave before next week, but I'm not sure where I'm staying."

"Hm, where's Bubba?"

"Spontaneous road trip with Jericho apparently."

"Well, you're free to crash at my place," Marceline offered, knowing that she'd regret it later. Her brain kept screaming _don't get attached, _but her heart wanted the exact opposite. All it wanted was to make amends.

To her brain's dismay, Bonnie gladly accepted the offer.

Marceline chuckled, looking at Bonnie's apparel. "I'm guessing you still have a thing for pink," she mused, motioning her hand at her clothing.

Bonnie argued, "Marcy, you're color blind. Everything is like pink to you."

"Oh, shut up," she joked, pushing her lightly. "But we both know you're wearing pink."

Bonnie pouted, an interesting combo with the cigarette in her hand.

A yawn escaped Bonnie's mouth as she rubbed her eyes, sleep starting to pull her in. Marceline smirked at the girl and teased, "It is _way_ past your bed time."

After a failed glare was shot, Bonnie replied, "And I'm guessing your day just started?"

Marceline laughed, "Well, I can't deny that, but you should really head to sleep."

Bonnie complied and headed back to her roll-away bed leaving Marcy alone on the balcony, a cigarette sitting idly between her fingers. A small smile was on her face as she shook her head lightly and mumbled, "Old habits do die hard."

.-

**a/n: I'm pretty sure you most of you guys get the TFiOS reference. Might have been overkill hah. I have a couple ideas for this story, but I'm still not sure which route to go. I was thinking this story would have been short, but as I keep writing, I'm proven wrong. The next chapter might be how they meet. **

**Btw, thanks CalmMango for the encouraging review.**


	3. Visiting Peppermint

**A/N: Sorry for a late update. School and all that jazz. I'm starting my internship soon, so things are a bit busy. I mentioned The Internship in this chapter and a song by Nat and Alex Wolff. Well, enjoy. **

Bonnie was nervous, scared, anxious, and, in general, not okay. Her hands felt clammy, her heart beating faster. It seemed like forever since the last time she saw Peppermint.

"Woah, you okay there?" Marceline asked, glancing at the girl to her side. She placed one hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to calm her down while driving.

She took a deep breath and nodded, her worried expression proving otherwise.

"Don't get yourself too worked up," Marceline told the girl, "I'm sure that Peppermint wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Have you visited him?" she asked, hoping to get a truthful answer. Everyone had always skirted away from the topic whenever she would inquire about Peppermint.

"Yeah," Marceline answered softly, "but he's not doing so well."

The two finally arrived at the hospital and were escorted to Peppermint's room. Bonnie's eyes widened at the sight of Peppermint on the hospital bed. He looked incredibly pale, his usual rosy face devoid of color. His eyes slowly opened to greet his visitors and smiled fondly, seeing the blonde girl by the doorway.

"Oh, Bonnie," he coughed midway through his sentence, "what a lovely surprise."

She trembled at the sight of him and wanted to rush next to his side, but her feet wouldn't move. Seeing him like this made her heart wrench, a hole opening up in her stomach as her heart twisted itself.

She felt a hand slide into hers and a squeeze of reassurance.

"I'm pretty sure you want to do more than stand there," Marceline smirked at the girl, trying to ease her pain. She pulled Bonnie towards Peppermint, smiling at her instead of smirking.

"How's Stanford been, my dear?" he inquired, his voice still lacking its health.

"It's been great. My professor recommended me to this research group studying cancer cells," she informed him. "I start after break."

Peppermint smiled at the girl, feeling proud of the girl he worked hard to take care of. He genuinely cared for her and wanted nothing but the best. When his times comes, Peppermint worried that she wouldn't be able to move on. He hoped she would have enough will power left by then and that her friends would help her cope.

Time passed as the two chatted, Marcy adding into their conversation as she felt suited. Before they knew it, the nurse was telling them that visitor's hours were done.

The two said their goodbyes and left the hospital, driving directly back to Marceline's apartment.

"Sphagetti and movie sound good for tonight?" Marceline asked the blonde girl in her passenger seat as she pulled up into the lot.

Bonnie nodded, saying, "As long as the movie's good."

The two prepared dinner, Bonnie boiling the pasta while Marcy prepared the sauce, the two resembling a well oiled machine. As they waited, they scrolled through the channels to find a decent movie to watch.

Marcy settled on The Internship, gladly choosing it over Pitch Perfect.

.-

"How can he be so self-absorbed?" Bonnie was like, slurping up some pasta with her fork.

"What do you mean?"

"He focuses on that one mistake he made instead of focusing on helping the team."

"But when you feel like you're useless, it's easy to understand where he's coming from."

"I guess," Bonnie mused, knowing the true weight of Marceline's words. She could remember all the time countless times Marcy's dad put her down and made her feel useless.

The credits played across the TV as Bonnie yawned.

"So, they get the job and are never exposed?" she asked, a little peeved at that part of the movie. A couple of lies could go a long way, but enough to land a job at Google?

"Whatever," she shrugged it off as she helped Marceline clean up their mess.

"It was pretty funny though," Marceline admitted, washing the dishes as Bonnie dried and put them away.

Bonnibel chuckled in agreement.

"What are your plans tomorrow?" Marceline asked, drying off her hands.

"Hm, I don't have anything planned actually."

"Great, then you can come watch my band perform tomorrow," Marceline said with a smile.

"It's not like I have anything better to do," Bonnie remarked, trying to pass it off as nonchalance.

"I'm assuming you're not staying much longer?" Marceline asked, seeing that Bonnie had no real plans for her stay. Plus, her supply of clothing was slowly starting to dwindle.

Bonnie nodded. "I'm leaving in two days, so I can get everything set up for my new research group."

"Taking the risk with Bond again?"

"I live on the edge."

.-

Marceline opened her eyes and glanced at her phone. _Three in the morning. _Sighing, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them.

She grabbed her acoustic guitar and notebook and headed out to the balcony, making sure to be quiet as not to wake up the pink girl this time. Gently sliding open the glass door, she slipped out and felt the nice gentle breeze. Marceline smiled, letting the cool breeze soothe her as she took a seat in a chair.

Her guitar lay across her lap, her notebook balancing on the arm rest, as she began strumming, easing away her worries and troubles. The blonde girl had come so quickly just to leave just as fast. Things seemed like everything was fine now, but they both knew they still had some unresolved issues.

She wondered if Bonnie was still mad, and if she was, the girl sure knew how to hide it. These past two days have probably been the most confusing for Marceline. But all of her thoughts went out the window as soon as she opened her mouth to sing.

_If you make me stay outside_  
_For a glance that lasts the night,_  
_If you put me in distress,_  
_I won't love you any less._  
_I won't love you any less._

_If you twist my fragile heart,_  
_And it breaks into pieces in the dark,_  
_If you leave a dangerous mess,_  
_I won't love you any less._  
_I won't love you any less._

Marceline stopped, hearing the glass door slide open, revealing the strawberry blonde girl. "Don't tell me I woke you up again," Marceline asked with a sly grin.

Bonnie shook her head no, replying, "Couldn't get much sleep."

"Worried about Peppermint?" she inquired, knowing how much of a worry wart Bonnie could be. "I'm not going to say he's going to be fine, because no one is immortal. But the best thing to do right now is accept it."

Bonnie leaned against the railing, assuming the same position from last night, this time with no cigarette. Her eyes watched the cars driving along, which was barely any, with a tight frown.

"It's hard," she let out broken, tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. "Being strong is hard."

Marceline placed a hand on her shoulder, not wanting to see the girl cry. "It's hard for him too, Bonnie," she told her, not sure if she was going to worsen the situation. "So, just keep trying for his sake."

Bonnie nodded, a weak smile breaking through her sadness. Wiping her eyes, she took out a cigarette and lit it, offering one to the pale girl who declined the offer.

"Were you singing a love song earlier?"

Marceline turned red and defended, "Yeah, but it's for a friend."

Bonnie raised her eyebrow and signaled her to continue.

"My buddy Jake is proposing to his girlfriend, and he wants to do it with a song," Marceline told her, seeing Bonnie pleased with the answer.

"That's cute," she commented, taking a seat, emotionally and physically exhausted. Marceline followed suit, returning to her earlier position.

"Yeah, they've been keeping this long distance relationship for a while now."

"Oh, where is she now?"

"She was in South Korea for a while, but she moved to California recently. Jake's hoping that she'd move up to Ooo once they get engaged."

"How old is this buddy of yours?"

"Hm, he's turning twenty eight soon. I think Lady is the same age too."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Lady? Is she super into colors and Korean?"

Marceline gave her a look, slowly nodding her head.

"I met her at a bookstore in Stanford a couple months ago!" she exclaimed, amused at the connection. "Sounds like Jake's a cool guy."

"He is!" Marcy affirmed, smiling at the girl. "I've only met Lady a couple of times, but she seems pretty cool too."

The night went on, and Bonnie was the first to retire leaving Marceline out on the balcony with her guitar and thoughts. Maybe it's best not to bring it up, Marceline settled. She sighed and shuffled back into her own room, attempting to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep.

_"So, you're really going to Stanford aren't you?" Marceline asked, arms crossed behind her head. She turned to look at the girl lying next to her and continued, "Why'd you have to be such a genius?"_

_Bonnibel nodded, her eyes gazing at the clouds up ahead. It wasn't uncommon for them to just chat at the hills behind their school. "Going there will help further my research," she replied, "but I'm really going to miss you."_

_The wind blew as a silence ensued between the two of them, the leaves rustling above them. Finally, Marceline spoke, "Yeah, me too."_

_Her voice cracked a little, devoid of its usual confidence. Bonnibel turned to look at the pale girl, wondering if something was wrong. _

"_You'll visit, right?" Bonnie asked, her voice coming out softer than intended. She tried again, clearing her throat. _

_Marceline looked at her with a sad smile played on her lips, almost as if they were apologizing. "Yeah, I'll try."_

"_You're hiding something," Bonnibel stated, sitting up and crossing her arms, eyes locking with the pale girl Even if they hadn't known each other for a long time, the two had gotten to know each other really well. At least well enough to notice when something isn't right with the other person._

"_What? No I'm not," she argued, her gaze breaking off as she looked at the leaves above. "I just," her voice trailed off as she sat up, bring her knees to her chest. "I love you, Bonnie. I'm scared that we'll drift apart."_

Marceline opened her eyes and hissed at the sun shining through her curtains. She got up and grumbled about buying thicker ones as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Quietly sneaking into her kitchen, she opened the fridge and grabbed an apple, glancing at the pink girl in her living room. She was still fast asleep, snoring slightly against the blanket bundled near her face.

She hastily scribbled down a note and placed it on the counter. Grabbing her bag on the way to the door, she headed out to her car.


End file.
